Light Shines In The Darkest of Places
by The Cobalt Legion
Summary: <html><head></head>No one knows what happened to Percy Jackson. He disappeared after the rewards ceremony. 2 years later, when an ancient diety rises, they will call upon someone long gone for help. Percy/Piper</html>
1. Chapter 1

AN: My newest story. I have some big plans for it. Not sure about the pairing, though. Here is what you can choose from:

A:Artemis

B:Bianca

C:Piper

D:Zoe

And yes, I will take this into HOO.

_A Half-Blood of the eldest gods,_

_Shall reach sixteen against all odds_

_And see his love in endless sleep_

_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_

_A single choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze_

My instincts took over. I dodged and slashed and rolled, but I felt like I was fighting a hundred swordsmen. Ethan ducked to one side, trying to get behind me until Annabeth intercepted him. They started to fight, but I couldn't focus on how she was doing. I was vaguely aware of Grover playing his reed pipes. The sound filled me with warmth and courage—thoughts of sunlight and a blue sky and a calm meadow, somewhere far away from the war. Kronos backed me up against the throne of Hephaestus—a huge mechanical La-Z-Boy type thing covered with bronze and silver gears.

Kronos slashed, and I managed to jump straight up onto the seat. The throne whirred and hummed with secret mechanisms. Defense mode, it warned. Defense mode. That couldn't be good. I jumped straight over Kronos's head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity in all directions. One hit Kronos in the face, arcing down his body and up his sword. It electroucueted him and he fell to the ground, elkectricity arcing through him.

Kronos rose to one knee. His hair smoldered. His face was covered with electrical burns. He reached for his sword, but this time it didn't fly into his hands.

"Nakamura!" he groaned. "Time to prove yourself. You know Jackson's secret weakness. Kill him, and you will have rewards beyond measure."

Ethan's eyes dropped to my midsection, and I was sure that he knew. Even if he couldn't kill me himself, all he had to do was tell Kronos. There was no way I could defend myself forever.

"Look around you, Ethan," I said. "The end of the world. Is this the reward you want? Do you really want everything destroyed—the good with the bad? Everything?"

Grover was almost to Annabeth now. The grass thickened on the floor. The roots were almost a foot long, like a stubble of whiskers.

"There is no throne to Nemesis," Ethan muttered. "No throne to my mother."

"That's right!" Kronos tried to get up, but stumbled. Above his left ear, a patch of blond hair still smoldered. "Strike them down! They deserve to suffer."

"You said your mom is the goddess of balance," I reminded him. "The minor gods deserve better, Ethan, but total destruction isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."

Ethan looked at the sizzling throne of Hephaestus. Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia—a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here. His good eye blinked.

Then he charged . . . but not at me.

While Kronos was still on his knees, Ethan brought down his sword on the Titan lord's neck. It should have killed him instantly, but the blade shattered. Ethan fell back, grasping his stomach. A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.

Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. "Treason," he snarled, putting his hand out. He blasted Ethan with a ball of blue energy, sned him spawling backwards.

"Deserve better," he gasped,trying to stand. "If they just . . . had thrones—"

Kronos stomped his foot on Ethan's throat. There was a sickening _crunch_ as the life left Ethan's eyes and he layed motionless on the floor.

I charged and jabbed under Kronos's guard. It was a good trick. Unfortunately, Luke knew it. He countered the strike and disarmed me using one of the first moves he'd ever taught me. My sword skittered across the ground and fell straight into the open fissure.

"STOP!" Annabeth came from nowhere. Kronos whirled to face her and slashed with Backbiter, but somehow Annabeth caught the strike on her dagger hilt. It was a move only the quickest and most skilled knife fighter could've managed. Don't ask me where she found the strength, but she stepped in closer for leverage, their blades crossed, and for a moment she stood face-to-face with the Titan lord, holding him at a standstill.

"Luke," she said, gritting her teeth, "I understand now. You have to trust me."

Kronos roared in outrage. "Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"

I tried to move, but my body was frozen again. How could Annabeth, battered and half dead with exhaustion, have the strength to fight a Titan like Kronos? Kronos pushed against her, trying to dislodge his blade, but she held him in check, her arms trembling as he forced his sword down toward her neck.

"Your mother," Annabeth grunted. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" the Titan roared. "This is my fate."

"No!" Annabeth insisted. Her eyes were tearing up, but I didn't know if it was from sadness or pain.

"That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"

"I will crush you, child!" Kronos bellowed.

"You won't," Annabeth said. "You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."

"LIES!" Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Kronos

struck her face, and she slid backward.

I summoned all my will. I managed to rise, but it was like holding the weight of the sky again. Kronos loomed over Annabeth, his sword raised. "Luke is gone. You will be too!"

Kronos brought the sword down. It impaled itself in Annabeth's throat. Somethinbg inside me snapped. "Annabeth!" I screamed.

I walked towards Kronos. He tried to slash at me with his sword, but I caught in between my 2 fijngers. "W-what?" He said.

I can't seem to describe what happened or remember it well eiter. I remember being so mad, I just slashed at him and stabbed everywhere until I hit a spot close to his ribs. I flew backwards as a wall of blue light hit me.

AN:Tell me what youy think and don't forget to vote for the pairing.


	2. Chapter 2

I got up and looked at Kronos. His eyes were like lava and he was failing to satnd. "Percy Jackson," He snarled menacingly. "This is not the last you will see of me."

Kronos exploded, and golden dust flew everywhere. I ran to Annabeth, who was almost dead. "Percy." She wheezed.

"Shh…Don't strain yourself," I told her. "It's alright. We beat Kronos. The world is safe, Annabeth, and it's all because of you."

She took my hand in hers. "Percy, promise me that you'll move on. Swear it on the Styx."

"I swear it on The Styx." I said with tears in my eyes.

She nodded sadly and and smiled for the last time; a big wide smile that warmed my heart. Suddenly, her smile faltered. It faded, and her eyes lost their light as they looked lifelessly towards me. I reached out and gently closed her eyes.

I couldn't take being a demigod anymore. There was too much death and suffering. I took my armor off and walked towards Ethan's dead body. I put my armor on him and placed Riptide in his hand. I took his sword and and threw his eye patch into the hearth.

When the gods would return, Percy Jackson would be dead.

AN: Glad that's over, now the real story will begin. The winner for pairing was Piper, and I have to say, it makes the most sense. Now the fun begins.

NEVADA 2013

PERCY POV

PErcy walked to the recreational center. In there, was where the Wilderness School was beginning. It had been a few months since The War and he was sure that the gods thought he was dead. In that time, Percy had done nothing but train relentlessly, as he blamed himself for Annabeth's death. He had replaced Riptide with something of his own creation.

On sight, it looked just like a pen, like Riptide used to. But when he pushed the button on pen, a beam of pure blue energy that could cut through steel like butter. Just like Riptide, it was impossible to lose, so that was one problem he didn't have. He had 2 of them, which made him like an indestructible killing machine.

Back to the task at hand. Dozens of families stood next to the bus, saying goodbye to their children. Some were teary-eyed, where as others looked like they had won the lottery. Once the parents had left, someone else came up. "Alright cupcakes! Listen up!" He said. "Choose a partner cuz you're definetly going to be needing one!"

The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap was pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked pretty scary if he hadn't been five feet zero.

Percy looked around for a good partner, but found they were all taken. His eye caught a particular girl. She wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green.

'Hm' Percy thought 'Maybe this won't be so bad.'

LINE BREAK A FEW WEEKS LATER

(only difference is that Percy and Piper are dating now.)

Today, the school was going to the Grand Canyon. On the way, Piper fell asleep. She was snuggling on Percy's chest when Coach yelled.

"We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."

He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.

"Have a nice sleep?" Percy asked teasingly to Piper, whose face turned red as she slapped Percy on the chest.

The bus dropped them in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that's what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere, Percy thought. A cold wind blew across the desert. He hadn't paid much attention to what he wore this morning, because he thought deserts were hot, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a white T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker. He saw all of the girls ogling at him, and he swore Piper was clutching her fists under her jacket. He grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile, which Piper returned happily.

The coach opened the doors, and they all stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before them, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.

"Man," Percy said. "That's pretty wicked."

The canyon was bigger and wider than you could appreciate from a picture. They were up so high that birds circled below their feet. Five hundred feet down, a river snaked along the canyon floor. Banks of storm clouds had moved overhead while they'd been inside, casting shadows like angry faces across the far as Jason could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it. He knew that Zeus was probably that god, considering how sane he is.

"Don't worry, cupcakes, this is made to hold huge amounts of weight, so you feathers will be fine out there!" Coach yelled.

Percy and Piper enjoyed the view, they held hands and watched the river flow beneath them when lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.

"I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!"

"I thought you said this thing was stable!" Piper shouted over the wind.

"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"

Piper and Dylan-another kid in the school- were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Percy thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Dylan flew to the center of the skywalk, pulling out a black sword. "HAHAHA!" He laughed maniacally as the wind picked up a bit.

"I was waiting for you to show up." Percy smirked.

Dylan looked surprised. "I see. You ARE still alive. Not for long!"

Piper looked scared. "Percy, please don't do this. I don't want to lose you."

Percy just smiled. He pulled out his 2 pens and clicked them. Blue beams of light shot out. "Now, you won't live." Percy said, pointing one sword at Dylan.

AN: Ill try to update again later...IF you review.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Here's the next chapter. Piper won, and is the pairing permanently.

Percy POV

Out of his peripherals, he saw Piper bang against the door, taers streaming down her face. Percy knew she had a tough life, but he didn't know that he mattered this much to her. "Fine," He thought. "I'll get this over with quickly".

"You make the first move," Percy said, smiling. "It's ladies first."

Dylan's face darkened as he drew his sword. He began to pace around Percy, inching closer every second. "So," He said. "The GREAT Percy Jackson. I heard stories about you, and I have to say, you don't look like much. However, my mistress seems to want you, so I guess I'll have to waste my time fighting you."

Dylan expiremently jabbed at Percy, who expertly sidestepped. Percy swung his sword down towards his face. Dylan raised his sword, but Percy's went riht through it. The second his sword melted, Dylan rolled backwards, barely dodging the sword.

"Damn," Dylan panted. "I'll have to rely on my powers now."

He held his hands toward Percy and closed his eyes. Thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Percy's arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down and hit Percy with the force of an artillery shell. He heard Piper yell his name from the museum. If it wasn't for the Curse of Achilles he would've been a pile of ash right now.

When the smoke cleared, Dylan looked surprised. "Impressive, that was enough lightning to take out the entire camp."

Percy got the feeling he didn't mean Wilderness School.

Hedge screamed out of nowhere,"Piper!"

Piper ran out of the door with Hedge's baseball bat, and hit Dylan. Or atleast _tried_ to. He sidestepped and kicked her down. Something snapped inside Percy, just like that fateful day a few mothns ago, and he threw his swords. They decapitated Dylan and went whirring into the distance. Eh, they'd show up in his pockets later.

There was just one issue. Wben Dylan exploded, a mini explosion of wind took place. Piper went flying over the edge, over 500 hundred feet, down in the Grand Canyon. "Percy!" She yelled.

Percy didn't hesitate jumping over the edge the second he saw Piper disappear over it. He fell through the air for a few moments and then realized how terrible his idea was. He wasn't scared of heights, he was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. He figured he hadn't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but he tucked in his arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fastforward. His face felt like it was peeling off. In a heartbeat, he caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. He tackled her waist and closed his eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in Percy's ears and he felt tears soak his shirt.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Percy's head. The Colorado River was below them. The Colorado _River_. If it weren't for the situation, Percy would've slapped himself. He repositioned Piper so that they were hugging each other. Her eyes were red and they were nose to nose.

Percy turned and yelled defiantly. The river churned and churned until it was spiining like a whirlppol. Percy and Piper went in it and rocketed out the other end. They flew so far in the air, they couldn't even see the ground anymore. They began to fall and landed in a place that filled Percy's heart with pain. Long Island Sound.

The water morphed into a slide that gently deposited them into the beach area of Camp Half Blood. "Percy! Thank you so much!" She said, kissing him sweetly.

"Hey," A boy wearing a orange shirt said. "Did you guys just get here? Do you need help? What kind of monster was chasing you?"

Percy rubbed the back of his head. "Um, no we're good. Nothing much, just a few hellhounds. You know, the usual."

The boy stared at Percy for a second. "You seem familiar," He said tapping his chin, as if it would help him remember. "Wait a sec! Perce is that you?"

Percy looked at the boy closer. "Will?"

"It is you Percy!" Will screamed and crushed Percy in a hug.

"Uh, Percy," Piper intervened. "What's going on?"

Percy froze. He turned and looked at Piper. "You know the legends about greek gods nad goddesses right?"

Piper nodded.

"Well, theyre real, and they have children," He said, gesturing to himself and Will. "Will here is a son of Apollo, and I'm a son of Poseidon. We are called Demigods. Demi-gods."

"Okay," She said doubtfully. "Then what is this place?"

"This," Percy said. "IS Camp Half Blood."

AN: Dramatic much? Anyway peace!


End file.
